Big12 to David Boren:

[TexasExes98]

Big 12 needs to stand pat and just wait for the SEC and Big ten to pick the ACC apart. Those two conferences will split up the Virginia and North Carolina schools, the big 12 will then be able to grab whatever 6 they want from the left overs.

This right here. Nothing is going to happen anytime soon, so everybody needs to chill and relax. Big 12 is a fine conference. It's not breaking up. Not sure why Goldbug is painting a picture that OU has it so bad in this conference?

 

[TexasExes98]

PAC owns their network 100% and their markets are ridiculous so bring in Texas and Oklahoma and the game changes radically. I'm no genius but I could find the money and make it work. The only question is would Texas play ball and give up POWER and share it equally. The money can be found but no conference is going to allow Texas to control the politics.

UNC would pick culture, travel concerns and money and join the SEC. You would be surprised how much the academics have improved in the SEC (Auburn and Alabama both are ranked above Oklahoma for instance) so UNC would fit comfortably in the SEC footprint.

Once again, Texas voted in favor of sharing 1st and 2nd tier revenue when TCU & WVU joined the conference, so the Big 12 now shares revenue equally, just like the other conferences. Also, Texas has one vote like all conference members. Not sure why that is difficult to understand for some people.

 

[Texas Jefe]

I don't know, but it has always just seemed to me that the Big12 teams just don't fit elsewhere.

They don't really fit in the SEC, A&M notwithstanding; don't fit in the PAC, as it's just too far away and the mindset is just different. Don't fit in the B1G either.

The conference just needs to do something to make it work. Need to go out and raid some other conference and pick up a couple big programs that are not totally happy where they are, and pick a couple up-and-comers to go along with them.

Get a bigger TV contract, roll the LHN into a conference network to keep all the whiners happy, and move forward.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

Most of the big 12 schools would actually lose money if the LHN was rolled into a conference network. Boren is about 3yrs too late on wanting a conference network. With cord cutting the big 12 schools should be looking at the WWE network model, a monthly pay app. Or each school should do their own, look to the future instead of the past.

 

[Deep Creek]

Another point is Boren doesn't like the SEC but he's within a year or two of retiring so...........

What's his beef with the SEC?

 

[romeo212000]

What's his beef with the SEC?

Academic standards I'm guessing. Boren wants to pretend OU can be some Harvard of the plains or something.

 

[TexasExes98]

This is all about money. Texas, OU, WVU, KU, KSU & Okie, jr all stand to lose money if a conference network was to be created. Now, if the conference added 2 more schools that add TV market value, then maybe it could work.

 

[Goldbug]

What's his beef with the SEC?

Boren's opinion of the SEC's academic status is it's not as high as the Pac 12 or the B1G. He's probably right in thinking that but he's pretty set in his ways on the issue. It makes him inflexible when it comes to entertaining the idea of seriously considering the SEC as an option.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

Seems like Boren's end game would end up with OU in the big ten.

 

[Goldbug]

This right here. Nothing is going to happen anytime soon, so everybody needs to chill and relax. Big 12 is a fine conference. It's not breaking up. Not sure why Goldbug is painting a picture that OU has it so bad in this conference?

Exes, the problem is OU's in a hell of a bind financially. The state is always struggling to fund everything it wants even in the best of times but the energy crash has really complicated things. State funding for education is abysmal, and getting worse. OU's strapped for cash and at the same time we are also desperately trying to figure out a way to improve our academic status. Granted we have done well in some respects: we are ranked first among public universities in enrollment of National Merit Scholars and among the top ten in the graduation of Rhodes Scholars. But the overall academic status of OU is still lacking and we need MONEY to improve that. Our brain dead legislature and our feckless Governor are no where to be found on the issue so.........the best long term alternative appears to be to move and associate with a better caliber of academic institutions by leveraging the strength of our athletic status. Staying in the Big 12, especially if we add the crappy teams they are talking about, does absolutely nothing to address OU's academic struggles.

 

[Goldbug]

Seems like Boren's end game would end up with OU in the big ten.

Only if we were stupid enough to want to kill our football program.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Right now the pac network nets 1mil per school. It would have to drastically improve for any of the 3 schools you mentioned to jump ship. Since they own their own network, they have no leverage in negotiating with cable companies.

Actually since they own their own network they have ALL the leverage in negotiating with cable companies. They could get ESPN and FOX to bid against each other for a piece. No one else has that kind of negotiating power. The SEC was tied to ESPN through other contractual obligations so they didn't have the opportunity to take the network to market.

FOX actually owns a controlling interest in the B1G network so they have zero leverage until the deal runs out.

 

[Wild Turkey]

Honestly no conference expansion makes sense with the current environment unless the PAC makes a move to add flagship schools in the central time zone. Then you can make the numbers work but not really for anything else short of ND wanted to join the ACC as a full member or the ACC being picked apart which is extremely unlikely.

 

[Lance Armstrong]

Actually since they own their own network they have ALL the leverage in negotiating with cable companies. They could get ESPN and FOX to bid against each other for a piece. No one else has that kind of negotiating power. The SEC was tied to ESPN through other contractual obligations so they didn't have the opportunity to take the network to market.

FOX actually owns a controlling interest in the B1G network so they have zero leverage until the deal runs out.

No, you're missing the point. ESPN and Fox own several channels, so bullying Time warner, att, etc was easier. Pac 12 has nothing to bundle with since they are self owned so they are fighting for a place at a shrinking cable table.

As for OU in the big ten, that's the only logical step for OU since they're so strapped for academic cash. Yes the football program would die, but sounds like the academic side needs the $$$$.

 

[Wild Turkey]

No, you're missing the point. ESPN and Fox own several channels, so bullying Time warner, att, etc was easier. Pac 12 has nothing to bundle with since they are self owned so they are fighting for a place at a shrinking cable table.

As for OU in the big ten, that's the only logical step for OU since they're so strapped for academic cash. Yes the football program would die, but sounds like the academic side needs the $$$$.

The point is that the PAC can negotiate any deal they want (if they are willing to give up equity) and if they landed OU and TX then it would be time to strike. I have no doubt they could pull in the cash on a network deal with the markets they could capture.

OU is so far away from the academic standards needed to join the B1G that is not ever going to happen.

 

[TexasExes98]

Exes, the problem is OU's in a hell of a bind financially. The state is always struggling to fund everything it wants even in the best of times but the energy crash has really complicated things. State funding for education is abysmal, and getting worse. OU's strapped for cash and at the same time we are also desperately trying to figure out a way to improve our academic status. Granted we have done well in some respects: we are ranked first among public universities in enrollment of National Merit Scholars and among the top ten in the graduation of Rhodes Scholars. But the overall academic status of OU is still lacking and we need MONEY to improve that. Our brain dead legislature and our feckless Governor are no where to be found on the issue so.........the best long term alternative appears to be to move and associate with a better caliber of academic institutions by leveraging the strength of our athletic status. Staying in the Big 12, especially if we add the crappy teams they are talking about, does absolutely nothing to address OU's academic struggles.

If this is the case, then OU's only move would be to the B1G. Going to the SEC won't do anything to improve OU's academic ranking. Can't go to the PAC b'c the school would take a massive paycut and it can't afford that. Same with the ACC. At least in the BIG OU would have access to the CIC money, but I know there is no way in hell my OU alumni friends would be in favor of going to the B1G.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

The Big 10 is not going to invite Oklahoma. They painted themselves into an academic corner.
They made such a huge stink about the academics of Nebraska and AAU stuff....

The SEC is unlikely to invite Oklahoma when better targets are right there in the ACC eventually.
Why add a tough out, small market, poor academics, and no recruits....when you can get big markets, recruits, great academics, and easy opponents from the ACC for less hassle.

The PAC-12 is not going to invite Oklahoma unless it comes with that other partner down south, and not the religious ones who the PAC hate.

Oklahoma basically has very little power to do anything, other than complain enough to make Texas do something first. Texas seems content to do nothing. So, OU is just going to have to suck it up and let things play out as is.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

So, Oklahoma will just keep pushing buttons hoping to get on Texas' nerves enough for the Horns to join them.

I just don't see it happening anytime soon for 300 million reasons.

 

[Goldbug]

If this is the case, then OU's only move would be to the B1G. Going to the SEC won't do anything to improve OU's academic ranking. Can't go to the PAC b'c the school would take a massive paycut and it can't afford that. Same with the ACC. At least in the BIG OU would have access to the CIC money, but I know there is no way in hell my OU alumni friends would be in favor of going to the B1G.

Exes, in a Doomsday Scenario, OU goes to the SEC. No it wouldn't address all of OU's academic concerns but it would (a) get us away from a crappy conference that's so sick it's being tempted to accept laughable replacements for what the conference already lost, (b) give us a shot at making some additional money, (c) give the fans some absolutely great homes games which inevitably leads to stronger financial support in athletics and (d) put to rest the lingering feeling on the part of a fair number of OU fans that we will forever be kowtowing to Texas as long as we are in the same conference. Hopefully a Doomsday Scenario doesn't happen but if it does the rest of the conference will just have to live with the repercussions. And yes, the SEC would take Oklahoma and even Jr. too if it was a package deal.

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

I just don't see any reason why the SEC would want OKLAHOMA anytime soon.

The SEC doesn't need a 12th member (NEBRASKA), and it doesn't need expansion to avoid imminent death (WVU and TCU).

For a stable league already at 12 members, the only reason to expand is for a team that hits all the marks.

Other than name recognition, OU hits none of the marks the SEC wants.
It doesn't add a timezone. It doesn't add a recruiting base. It doesn't improve academics. It doesn't offer a big new TV market.

Yes, OU has a big name. But, you need a lot more than that these days.
Teams like North Carolina and Virginia Tech offer so much more.

The SEC will go that way long before they remotely consider OU.